Chapter Text
Cat Noir’s eyes unfocused once again to see a menacing, orange blob moving swiftly.
His nose felt so dry it burned. He attempted to inhale a well needed deep breath, his nostril instead letting a sticky, metallic liquid run down his face.
He saw a red splotch of color running towards the amber blob of flickering fire.
His eyes watered from the thickness of the air. He’d like to close his eyes, to stop the wretched fog from touching his eyes, but that just made it worse. The second his eye lids covered his bare, disgustingly dry eyeballs, it burned like hell. The fact his eyes teared up didn’t help much because the liquid quickly left.
He guessed it hurt less than leaving them open but that didn’t stop him from trying to watch the fight happening.
He wanted to run, to go out there and help. He was determined, although that didn’t help much. He stood up and immediately stumbled, falling back onto his bottom. He propped himself up against a brick chimney wall. He was in this position where one arm leaned on the wall and the other rubbing his eyes.
A different shade of orange joined the battle, using something shaped like a stick to poke and prod at the beast.
His mouth and throat was coated with a film, it tasted horrid. He gagged, bending over slightly as a small amount of bile poured up and onto his tongue. He spat onto the ground, the taste of his own stomach fluid not leaving his taste buds.
A forest green figure sprinted with what he assumed was a shield, throwing it, attempting to hit the reddish-orange enemy.
His eardrums rang, over and over. His head felt like it was about to explode. The sound was so loud yet so fake. Or was it? He didn’t know at this point.
When was all this going to stop?
His eyes opened just barely enough to see the ugly monster being captured by the small dots of color.
His whole body shook while the world around him swayed in a fast circle motion. His eyes squinted. He needed to get rid of his sight. He didn’t care if it was permanent or not, he needed something.
He could cover his eyes with his hands, he could run to shelter and get away from the fog, he could pry his own eyes out with the claws on his hands-
“CAT NOIR!” A faint voice called for him.
That’s when he realized he had been falling.
—
“…at…”
Why did his head ache so much?
“…oir…”
Ew, his tongue tasted like death itself.
“Cat Noir?” A voice echoed.
His eyes fluttered open and he tried to turn his head to observe his surroundings-
“Don’t turn your head, dude.”
He should probably listen to him. His head ached and when he even slightly moved, it was this agonizing crushing in his skull that stopped him.
A hand softly brushed along his face. He urned for the touch, if only it didn’t feel like he was about vomit his guts out.
He felt the puke bubbling up his throat, he sat up. He grabbed for his head and dark crimson blood covered his hand.
That didn’t matter at the moment, he had to find a place to puke that wasn’t his Lady’s lap.
Ladybug gasped and tried to pull him back down onto her lap, but he resisted.
He quickly crawled to the side just in time for his small lunch to regurgitate.
“What’s happening?” Ladybug questioned quietly. The left over tears stuck to her face and made it shiny.
He spat out the rest of the chunky yak.
“…I don’t know. It’s serious, though.” Rena Rouge replied.
The red clad heroine fidgeted with her fingers. “Do you think it was the smoke?”
“Maybe, I mean, all the rest of us were affected by the fire. It just looks like he… had a stronger reaction.” Carapace said.
His eyes unfocused and colors blurred together, making the three heroes look like one big three-headed monster.
“It could’ve been that.” Rena glanced over at Cat. “It’s just too extreme for it to just be the akuma, right, girl?”
“Right.”
He sat down next to his pile of puke. As he took a glance down at it, he noticed something. There was blood in his vomit.
His eyes widened as he spoke, ”Am I going to die?”
The trio’s faces flashed with terror but then were replaced with something of worry.
Carapace’s hazel eyes widened and his lips parted.
Rena Rouge’s hands clenched her cape’s fabric. Her face looking as though she was thinking the thought through.
Ladybug’s tear ducts seemed to fail her and she let down a few tears, her gloved hands quickly moving to wipe her eyes.
Those few words were filled with so much hurt. Not that he wanted to hurt their feelings, no he would never.
It was barely a question, no it was more of a statement. Why? Because he knew.
His emerald eyes softened, he sighed.
It’s better to just accept it.
“No, you’re not dying, Cat.” Carapace said, shaking his head. His lip trembled slightly.
Ladybug quickly pulled him into a tight hug, he protested as the remaining puke on his lips touched her shoulder. But there was just something so comforting as she wiped his wet eyes to get rid of the tears he didn’t even know were there.
There was something so comforting by the way Carapace held his shoulder and Rena searched Ladybug for reassurance.
It made him happy, it made him content and warm inside. The thing is, it also made him feel guilty.
He was just taking all the attention to himself, wasn’t he? But he deserved to be selfish for once. He’s done everything in his power to help save Paris. To save his best friends.
They were his best friends, they were there for him. Always there for him.
But now? He was going to die on them.
They told him otherwise but he knew.
He knew they were wrong.